PNEUMA 40 (2018) 389–452
Book Reviews
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H.A. Drake,Christians, Pagans, Jews, and the Supernatural, 312–410(New York, New
York: Oxford University Press, 2017). 312 pp. $24.23 hardback.
Although the word “miracles” appears in the title, it is rather “miracle stories” which is the dominant subject matter of the book. Pentecostals and Charismat- ics often trumpet claims of the miraculous which skeptics and cessationists equally scrutinize. Craig Keener has added to the debate with his two-volume work providing reliable documentation to substantiate miracles. However, to appreciate this book about supernatural happenings, it’s imperative that it is read not through the lens of modern-day Pentecostal and Charismatic cul- ture.
H.A. Drake is Research Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara and his skills as a historian shine through in this 312-page work. His primary objective is to highlight two miracles that shaped the fourth cen- tury of the Common Era and to demonstrate that more than coincidence is involved in their timing (1).
He sets out to achieve this in eleven chapters with the inclusion of twenty- seven illustrations. These two miracles bookend the fourth century. At the beginning, Constantine had a vision of “the cross” which influenced him to con- vert to Christianity and defeat his rival to the imperial throne, while at the end, a miraculous windstorm occurred that saved the then emperorTheodosius and his army. Drake’s introduction to this book provides a helpful summary of each chapter which he faithfully expands upon.
The first chapter begins by showing how miracles can be understood and interpreted differently by people. The author cites an example of an individ- ual healed of an incurable disease and offers three explanations to help the reader appreciate that miracle stories were used by the people in the fourth century to interpret and understand the changes they experienced (7). As the book subtitle is Christians, Pagans, Jews and the Supernatural, Drake states the differences in the way pagans, Jews, and Christians think about supernatural
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intervention (17). He also cautions how labels can become one-dimensional (22).
Instead of citing Constantine’s miracle first, the author begins chapter two with Theodosius’s miracle. Even though this miracle is the title of this chapter, it surprisingly occupies just two pages with the remainder devoted to Ambrose who recounted the miracle in Theodosius’s funeral eulogy. Attention is drawn to Ambrose’s rhetorical and oratorical skills, the power of the sermon in Roman tradition and how he could use it to his advantage to influence public opinion. In keeping with the “miracle” theme, Drake concludes the chapter with citing miracles which occurred in Ambrose’s ministry.
Meticulous attention to detail is shown in chapter three as the author scru- tinizes Constantine’s vision and dream. As both Eusebius and Lactantius doc- ument it, but with differing accounts, Drake naturally wants to reconcile them and does so by asking questions. What did Constantine see and when did he see it? Included in Drake’s assessment is “Constantine’s pagan vision” which derived from a panegyric. This vision generated controversy and is believed by some to be Constantine’s only vision which was later “appropriated by Chris- tians” (61).
Drake’s earlier counsel of how miracles can be understood and interpreted differently by people is apt in considering what Constantine saw with exam- ples of the difference in interpretation of it by a pagan and a Christian. Chris- tian thinkers had a difficult problem with Constantine as he used his vision to present himself as the “Man of God”; he was now a Roman Emperor and a Christian ruler. Using the metaphors of a “scalpel and cleaver,” Drake highlights in chapter four how thinkers who he calls “miracle doctors” wrote about Theo- dosius differently while he was alive in contrast when he had died. Two such “miracle doctors” were Ambrose and Lactantius who used Ambrose’s experi- ence to “meet other needs” (76).
Although Constantine and Theodosius’s miracles undergird the book, Drake cites other notable miracles. There is the fascinating discovery by Constan- tine’s mother, Helena, of the cross of Christ and how a Jew named Judas was instrumental in leading Helena to it. Miracles didn’t appear to be good for the economy as many individuals engaged in monasticism with some like Anthony living a solitary and ascetic lifestyle to overcome fleshly temptations and achieve spiritual perfection and so drained the empire of manpower and financial resources.
Chapters eight and nine bring the whole book together as they demonstrate how proof of divine assistance became a vital test of the superiority of one religious argument over another. Miracles were placed on trial and used in conjunction with oratorical skills to win debates and settle disputes. When a
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miracle didn’t achieve such a purpose, it proved that “the old gods could not even protect themselves” (181) and that those who trusted in them had ques- tionable judgment.
Overall, this is an excellent account of a unique period in history punctu- ated by supernatural happenings. Drake succeeds in demonstrating how these miracle stories reassured Christians that God wanted to make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. The author writes objectively, and while stating his intention in writing, he is not biased nor demonstrates an agenda to build a case for the miraculous. That is evident when he meticulously and critically examines the evidence purporting such happenings. Furthermore, when writing about the sacking of the empire which challenged the thinking that miracles prove God’s wish for it to be Christian, the author cites Augustine whose work, “the City of God” was written to help answer such questions and bring clarity. Perhaps Drake might have helped his otherwise coherent writing in addressing Constantine’s miracle before Theodosius’s and providing expla- nations of terms like “panegyric” (58) and “consensus omnium” (72). While the author has demonstrated what made this century unique regarding the mira- cle stories, it might have been enlightening to suggest as to why they occurred at that particular time in history.
Mark Anderson
Kings Evangelical Divinity School, Broadstairs, United Kingdom [email protected]
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